The invention is a novel method for making laminated blocks of pasta filata cheese.
Pasta filata cheese is a high volume production cheese used in pizza and other Italian foods. The cheese is purchased by users in the form of blocks, of industry standard sizes. The blocks of cheese are shredded by the users.
The novel method of forming laminated pasta filata cheese blocks, is continuous, with no handling between extrusion, to the step of cutting the laminated ribbons to a desired length.
A plastic ribbon of hot, pasta filata cheese is extruded onto a conveyor. While on the conveyor, the ribbon is chilled by either brine, cold water, or super chilled air. Heat is removed from the ribbon, only until the ribbon has set up, and is self supporting.
The set up ribbon is stacked on other ribbon, while the ribbon is being transported. The stacked ribbons laminate at the ribbon to ribbon contact surfaces. Lengths of the laminated ribbon are cut into blocks.